Jansenistic pedagogy: Port Royal (1637-1657)

It is not our intention to tackle the m any problem s created by the b rie f and contrasting existence o f the Petites Ecoles o f Port Royal, problems like: their champion, Jean Duvergier de Hauranne, the Abbott o f St-Cyran, one o f the leaders o f the Jansen ist movement; the nature and aims, which place these schools at a much higher and more dem anding level than the popular, hum ble little schools (Petites Ecoles) spread out through the French parishes and suburbs; the modest number o f pupils ofboth genders entrusted, in small groups, to their respective male or female instructor.74

W hat needs to be underlined is the close connection that the style o f education practised in the ‘little schools’ o f Port Royal has with the Preventive System in general, and in particular with the Don B osco’s educational experience. Even though the

68 F ive chapters are g iv en over to the th em e o f spiritual paternity: cf. D e conclicionibits, 55-132.

m N . L an ciciu s, D e con d icion ib u s, 10.

70 ibid, 13.

71 ibid, 25 7 -2 9 9 .

72 N . L an ciciu s, D e co n d icio n ib u s, 262.

73 ibid, 2 73 and 285.

74 For the ‘L ittle s c h o o ls ’ o fP o r t-R o y a l, c f. L es P éd a g o g u es de P o rt R o y a l... H isto rie des P etites Ecoles. N otices, extraits et analyses avec des notes, par. 1 (Carré, Paris: D elagrave 1887). p. 2 8 7 -3 3 7 R ègelem entpour les enfants de P o rt-R o ya lb y Jacqueline Pascal; L. C avallone, I m a estri e le ‘p ic c o le sc u o le ' di P ort-R oyal, (Turin, Paravia 19 4 2 ); F. D elfo rg e, L es p e tite s écoles de P o rt-R o ya l 1637-1660, (Paris, É ditions du C erf 19 8 5 ), 4 3 8 pages.; an ex c e lle n t contribution, attentive to the co n n ectio n s b etw een th eo lo g y , p ed a g o g y and d id actic theory is offered by M. Ferrari, “Le p ic c o le sc u o le di Port R oyal: una didattica teoricam ente fondata”, in «Scuola e città» 37 (1986): 52 2 -5 3 1 .

Piedm ontese educator does not venture into the theological elaborations o f the Port Royalists, he does present, in his educational praxis, not a few sim ilarities with the ones used by the Port R oyalists.75 But these sim ilarities have to do with the style, seasoning the attitudes o f the educators tow ards their pupils. As far as the contents and contexts are concerned, however, the life experience o f the young Port Royalists is m uch m ore austere than the one lived by the young people who flocked to D on B osco’s oratories and schools.

Evidently the prom oters and adm inistrators o f the ‘ little schools’ support the absolute prim acy o f grace in reference to salvation and therefore also in reference to the educational process. This, however, does not exclude personal responsibility and commitment, rather it highlights them.

For several reasons, a child is a defenceless creature, exposed to the attacks o f the Tempter, underm ined like everyone by original sin; a fragile creature because o f his age, because o f his psycho-physical structure, because o f the pressures o f the environment. The work o f an educator is absolutely necessary for the following reasons:

to protect the child’s innocence; to preserve the child from evil, a wound which will render salvation even more difficult to attain; to restore his fallen nature; to discipline his passions; to strengthen his spirit and his will and to render his heart good.

C ontributions to all this are provided by the supernatural m eans offered by Faith and the constant, vigilant and affectionate work ofthe educator who accompanies, encourages and urges the child on, acting in cooperation with God as an indispensable

“useless servant” who, more than being the “orator” (oratore), is first o f all the “pray- er”(orante). “The devil attacks children and they do not fight back. H ence the need to fight for them ... Separation from the w orld, good exam ple are the best help other than prayer, that one can give them ” ,76

Jacqueline Pascal, in her book Rules fo r children writes: “1 believe that in order to usefully serve children, we should never speak to them and not even work for their good w ithout looking at God, and w ithout begging him for his grace, with the desire to draw from him all that is needed to train children in the fear o f G od.77

Therefore the educational space is especially an area separated from the world and its dangers, in the countryside or w ithin the confines o f a house or a boarding

75 P. S te lla o ffers s o m e in te r e stin g o b s e r v a tio n s, and c la r ific a tio n s o f co m p a riso n , d e p en d en cies, sim ila rities, in his D on B o sco nella sto ria d ella relig io sità cattolica, vol 2 , pp.

2 3 2 -2 3 6 ,2 6 0 ,3 1 7 ,4 5 1 -4 5 2 .

76 E ntretien de S a in t C yran et de M. L e M a ître su r les enfants, cied by M . Ferrari, Le p ic c o le scu o le, e 528; F. D elforge, L es p e tite s écolese, pp. 2 6 9 -2 7 6 .

77 R è g e le m e n tp o u r les enfants, part 2, n. 1, 3 9 3 . Q uoted from the edition contained in the w ork b y V. C o u sin , Ja c q u elin e P ascal, P rem ières études s u r les fe m m e s illustres et la so ciété d u X V IIe siècle, (Paris, D idier et C ie 1856) Ed. 1 8 4 4 ,3 5 8 -4 2 5 .

institution. It is its ow n little supervised universe, that is, the pupils are constantly supervised— the first imperative for an organisation — and under the direction o f the educators. The small family, like groups o f five or six pupils, are entrusted to educators who share the life o f their pupils day and night. The m ain goal is not only to preserve the children’s innocence, but also to foster their active growth by teaching everything that can help them grow in virtue and knowledge and in love o f things eternal. This is dictated by infinite zeal, suggested by faith and charity which, in turn, is both a sincere and a w arm -hearted affection.78 The educators have a friendly relationship with the children; they have to try to win over their trust and thus advise them. Punishm ents are the last resort and an unpleasant one. The first concern should be one o f preventing a child from doing som ething wrong through strict supervision and by fostering imitation.79

Sim ilar suggestions for the education o f girls are to be found in The Rules for the children o f Port Royal™ Serious issues are certainly not om itted: there should be a painstaking, visible assistance, a dignified reserve, silence all over, an accent on mortification, on always keeping busy. But just the same, the manifestations o f loving­

kindness are relevant although with notable restraint.

The goal assigned to the care o f girls — which should start from the age o f four or five — is to point them to a deep aw areness o f C hristian life.81 A ccording to the founder’s, St-Cyr’s ‘Salesian dimension’, Christian life must be inspired by love which holds absolute primacy,82 yet a love never separated from fear and always based on a twofold feeling: the ugliness o f vice and the beauty o f virtue.83

The sublim ity and purity o f the goals o f such an education do not exem pt the author o f the Règlement from prefacing it with a warning to recommend the educators to employ moderation in the implementation o f the rules. “N ot all the girls are capable o f keeping such a prolonged silence or o f living such an intense kind o f life without losing heart and feeling tired. Forthis reason, the teacher, while safeguarding discipline, should m ake efforts to win over their affection and their heart, som ething which is fully necessary to succeed in their education” .84

W hat follows are a series of invitations to keep a watchful presence among the girls, with an attitude o f both love and reserve.

78 F. D elfo rg e, Les p etite s éco lee,. 2 7 7 -2 8 5 . 79 ibid, 157-171

80 T he tex t o f the R èg lem en t p o u r les enfants de P o rt-R o y a l can also be found in the w ork L es p é d a g o g u e s de P o rt R o ya l 2 8 7 -3 3 7 .

81 C f. R èg lem en t, part II, I, n. 2 3 ,4 0 0 .

82 On the ‘S alesian d im e n sio n ’ o f Saint-C yran, cf. J. O rcibal, cf. L a sp iritu a lité d e S a in t- C yran avec se s écrits d e p ie té inédits, (Taris, Libraire J. Vrin 1962), 35 -7 9 .

83 R èglem ent, p a rti, du travail, 8 ,3 6 4 ; part 2 ,2 , nos. 1 -3 ,4 0 1 -4 0 2 . 84 Ibid, A vertissem ent, 358..

We have to use a lot o f charity and tenderness with the girls, never neglecting anything that has to do with their life, both their inner and external life, m aking them realise, at every opportunity, that there are no limits to our dedication to them, and that what we do we do with affection and with all our heart because they are daughters of God and we feel obliged not to spare anything to m ake them worthy o f this.85...

Furtherm ore, living am ong the girls, w e have to behave ourselves so they do not notice our change o f hum our when we deal with them , som etim es too indulgently, sometimes with severity; We should not become too familiar with them, neither should we give them too much confidence, even if they are older. We should, however, show them charity and a great am ount o f gentleness in everything they need; w e should even anticipate them in their needs. They need to be treated with great politeness and we should speak to them respectfully, doing all w e can for them. It would be good at tim es to be condescending in things which are not im portant, if this helps us to win over their heart. When they do something wrong, we should speak with much gentleness and offer them good reasons to convince them o f w hat they did wrong.86

Other suggestions follow: “educate the girls to live a simple life; use discretion in supervision; punish them w ithout m uch fuss, w ithout w asting a w ord; get them accustom ed to being sincere; keep them busy alternating reading, playing and w orking” .87 In reference to assistance, there is a fine observation: “I believe that our continuous vigilance should be carried out w ith gentleness and such trust as to make the girls understand that we love them and not that w e are with them only to guard them ” .88

The guidance given for the m oral and religious education o f young girls is characterised by an extraordinary w isdom , respect and finesse, w hile keeping seriousness as the basis. But what stands out more than the idea o f duties is the theme o f gift-giving. “ We have to m ake the girls understand that a religious life is not a burden at all, but one o f the greatest o f G od’s g ifts , a helping means and a comfort for those who w ant to live according to their Baptism al vow s” .89

The same kind o f reasoning qualifies the spirituality to be displayed by the girls’

educators.

It is good, at times, to let them know that we love them in the Lord, and that it is precisely this tenderness which makes us so sensitive to any o f their faults and experience much pain to bear with them, We should make them understand

85 R è g le m e n t,.., part2 , 1,n. 2 ,3 9 3 -3 9 4 . 86 ibid, part 2 , 1, nos. 1 3 -1 6 ,3 9 7 -3 9 8 . 87 ibid, p art2 , 1, nos. 1 7 -2 3 ,3 9 8 -4 0 0 . 88 ibid, part 2 , 1, n. 18, p. 399.

89 ibid, part 2 ,2 , n. 11, p. 404; cf. n os 1-10,. 4 0 1 -4 0 4 .

that it is exactly the flame o f this love that at times drives us to use such harsh words in reprimanding them. We have to assure them that, independently o f the way we act, we are always drawn to act the way we do by the affection we have for them and by the desire to make them as God wants to them to be and that our heart still, and always abides by gentleness towards them, that our firmness is directed towards their faults and that is why we do violence to ourselves, since we are naturally more inclined to employ gentleness than force.90 Naturally, the m odest dimensions o fth e comm unities o f ‘little schools’ o f Port Royal, subdivided into tiny groups, offered broad opportunities for entretiens particuliers (particular encounters) w ith the girls, in order to provide them w ith a more personalized support: comfort in their suffering, correction in their vices, control o f their passions, growth in their virtues. Charity, reserve, avoidance o f familiarity, discretion, invocation to God for light and grace, sincerity in on e’s relationships and charitable warnings,91 the granting o f forgiveness, the imposition o f penances, all worked together.92

B efore concluding with a paragraph w ith a hum an touch Les Mcdades et les lew s besoins corporals (C oncerning sick girls and their bodily needs),93 the book offers different titles dealing w ith the fundam ental resources o f the life o f grace:

Confession, Communion, Confirmation, Prayer and Spiritual Reading.94 The rigorist theology peculiar to Jansenism inevitably prevailed in the educational m ethod o f the

‘little schools’. Those pages are certainly not to be considered part o f what we habitually refer to as ‘ Preventive System ’. Exceptionally, only a few sections dedicated to prayer and wholly geared to instilling within the girls a refined inner type o f Christianity might som ehow be considered as part o f the Preventive System,

Let every effort be made to instil in the girls a great desire to have recourse to God in all their needs, particularly in their weaknesses and temptations. We should make them understand that only looking to God with trust, humility and perseverance will give them more support than all the great resolutions they might make. These resolutions would, in turn, be useless if the goodness o f God were not to be their source, through the power o f his grace. We should also make them understand that the only thing we can do is to lose ourselves in God, knowing that He alone can save us.

90 ibid, part 2 ,2 , n. 12, p. 4 0 4 . 91 ibid, part 2 ,3 1 , nos. 1 -9 ,4 0 5 -4 0 8 . 92 R eg lem en t. .., part 2 ,4 , nos. 1 -7 ,4 0 8 -4 0 9 . 93 ibid, p a r t 2 ,10, nos. 1 -1 1 ,4 2 1 -4 2 5 . 94 ibid, part 2, parts 5 -9 ,4 1 0 -4 2 1 .

Secondly, we should not overburden them with a huge number o f vocal or mental prayers, but instead should make efforts to impress on their hearts a true feeling o f G od’s holy presence, so that they may be able to see him everyw here, in all their occupations, and w orship him and praise him everyw here.95